Poison Ivy and Jewelweed

This is the dreaded Poison Ivy. I have only ever heard one person say to me something nice about it. That one thing changed my perception. "Birds eat it, its good to have around." That was enough for me, probably didn't change your mind. But, birds do eat the berries and they stay on the plant well into winter, giving a much needed food source in a desperate time. The rashes are horrible, I remember being covered in them as a kid. That is what you are probably thinking about right now. Horrible, horrible rashes. Keep those in mind as you read about this next plant.  

This is Jewelweed. Much less known than Poison Ivy, but in my opinion a much cooler plant. This particular specimen is not yet flowering, but will produce either a yellow or orange flower. I have seen both in Eastern PA. The seed pod that can be found in the later part of the year does something spectacular, well spectacular if you are a kid, maybe just interesting if you are an adult. When you touch the seed pod it seems to explode. Pieces curl up others go flying and I just remember being fascinated by it when I was young. It is kind of like natures version of bubble wrap. 

Jewelweed gets its name from the silvery color you can see on the bottom of its leaves when you put it under water. So why do I have a post with Poison Ivy and Jewelweed? You may already know. Taking a Jewelweed stem, crushing it up and applying the liquid to areas you think you may have just brushed against poison ivy can prevent you from getting a rash. Don't believe me? Well it has been proven scientifically. I have used it for years and the cool thing is a lot of times you find Jewelweed in areas where there is a lot of poison ivy. It does seem to work. Washing it off with soap does work too and is the preferred method.

If you are interested in how this plant was tested for effectiveness, check out Abrams et al. article entitled The effectiveness of jewelweed, Impatiens capensis, the related cultivar I. balsamina and the component, lawsone in preventing post poison ivy exposure contact dermatitis. It is interesting, but maybe not for everyone.